U.S. lets Somali immigrants stay 18 more months

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen speaks before introducing U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during a visit to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) headquarters in Washington, U.S., July 6, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Thursday it would allow some 500 Somalis to remain in the United States for at least another 18 months under protected status given violence in their home county.

Somalis in the United States with Temporary Protected Status will be able to re-register for an extension of their status through March 17, 2020, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security. The status grants beneficiaries the ability to legally work while they are in the United States.

“After carefully reviewing conditions in Somalia with interagency partners, (DHS) Secretary (Kirstjen) Nielsen determined the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that support Somalia’s current designation for TPS continue to exist,” the statement said.

The Trump administration has shown a deep skepticism toward the temporary protected status program, announcing its end for immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Sudan since President Donald Trump took office last year.